


Killing Me Slowly

by seifersfire



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, soul searching, woot for me being bored and attacked by plot bunnies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-11 11:03:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7888864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seifersfire/pseuds/seifersfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Feron actually was double dealing Cerberus and the Shadow Broker? What if he never intended to help Liara?</p><p>An AU where Feron does not have good intentions and Kaidan was never posted to the Normandy SR1.</p><p>Two very simple changes that have huge consequences on the Galaxy and the coming war with the Reapers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Killing Me Slowly

The comms crackled and bright blue eyes scanned the panel in front of her. "What makes you so sure we'll find her here?"

A rumbled chuckle answered, "You went through quite a bit for Cerberus' assistance, Dr. Tsoni. Is it really worth dismissing now that we're here? Second thoughts are contagious you know."

"You never did explain how her body was not at the Normandy's crash site. Forgive my insubordination but following orders blindly hasn't had the best outcome lately. You're double dealing for Cerberus and the Shadow Broker, you've put yourself at great personal risk for a woman you've never spoken too. Suspicion is not unwarranted here." She drummed her fingers against the comm, They were on a small skiff that Liara had chartered from the Citadel orbiting over Alchera. Feron had insisted on keeping the location on the planet to himself, at least until they found what they were looking for.

"I've put myself at great personal risk for a rather substantial paycheck. Has the method of being paid twice ever occur to you?"

Liara fought the roll of shame in her stomach those words caused. She took a deep breath and steeled herself, these were the people she had to associate with, had to become if she wanted Shepard back. A brief flash of shoulder length red hair and painfully green eyes had her gripping her chair rather tightly as pain ripped through her chest. No, she couldn't loose her and Liara would happily become what she needed to be to bring her friend home. Let the drell think what he liked, Liara had her own plan. "Suit up, I'm taking us planet side. Your info had better be good."

***  
Liara ignored the casket in the back of the skiff as Feron brought them back around to the mass relay. She didn't acknowledge the shivers of pity and disgust rolling through her system, the image of Shepard's very broken corpse imposed on the inside of her eyelids. She had been frozen in place, a statue in agony under Alchera's frozen gaze. They had loaded her remains into the pod almost reverently, extremely careful of any still existing extremities. The casket was keeping her body frozen, preventing any other decay for the moment. Time was of the essence right now and they had to move.

Her options were slim. The Alliance would simply put her to rest, and it had occurred to Liara that they could be the kindest option. However, that would mean besting Feron and any other Shadow Broker agents she didn't know about milling around which she was somewhat positive she could not do, not alone.That left Cerberus or the Shadow Broker. Cerberus had requested information that lead Liara to the conclusion they genuinely wanted to resurrect her and they had been the ones to contact her in the first place, sending Feron as a liaison and gatekeeper. Little did Cerberus know, the meet was rigged and he planned to take Shepard's body and the credits in one go. Feron had quite happily detailed what the Shadow Broker would do to her if they returned to him without Shepard's body. Liara didn't care. Shepard would breathe in this universe again if it was the last thing she ever did. "Where are we meeting Cerberus?"

Feron shot her a fairly dry look from the pilots chair. "And why would I tell you that?"

"I've been a complacent quasi prisoner slash hostage so far. Will a destination really give away your whole plan?!" She grumbled, going for petulant rather than frustrated, better to annoy than show her real feelings on the matter.

"No, it wouldn't." Feron punched in the coordinates before rising from his seat and meandering back into the lone cabin the small ship boasted. "See for yourself, if you're that curious." The cabin slid shut and the lock glowed an ominous red, sealing himself in with Shepard's corpse, effectively tying Liara's hands. She glanced over to the other monitor and over the coordinates, which were of course passlocked, any attempt to alter them would alert the drell and she wouldn't risk Shepard, not when she had come this far. She was unsurprised they were headed to Omega.

She pulled up her omnitool looking over the correspondence that she had with Cerberus, bemoaning the loss of an extranet connection, and as she read she had an idea.

An idea that made her smile.

***

Liara shifted nervously as they docked at the spaceport standing next to a crate that had been fashioned to look like supplies rather than a casket. They were processed through security and before she had the chance to blink they were headed to the lower level mining plants. 

A group of humans in white and yellow armor were grouped around a building. This was the meet.

It had been a very long time since she had gone to school, even longer since she had been studying tech by all means, she was an archeologist by nature, but the simplicities of an ad-hoc connection was exactly what she needed. As they were escorted inside the building Liara pulled out her omnitool, finally free to do so with an open extranet feed. Feron couldn't exactly limit her omnitool use and explain why without giving himself away. She only had a few moments.

Her typing was not lost on her drell companion. He was sure to decrypt the message soon. 

Liara pinged her contacts personal network with a single message and prayed it went through. "Secure Shepard. We have been betrayed."

***  
Miranda Lawson ignored the chirp on her omnitool. It was a low priority contact and she had bigger things to deal with. The preliminary scans showed extensive damage to the subjects body. The brain was mercifully intact but considering all the other damage... Her hopes for possibly returning the commander to her former glory was very much daunted by the information in front of her.

A second chirp warranted an irritated glance. It was from Tsoni, probably just confirming their arrival. "Jacob, they've arrived. Bring Feron and Tsoni to the drop off point. I'll be there shortly with the shuttle."

"You got it Miranda." The young man stated, heading towards the door.  
Miranda took an obligatory look at the message the doctor had forwarded to her and fairly flew out the door. 

***

When the bullets stopped flying and the smell of singed wiring and smoke were blanketing the small building Liara poked her head out of cover. Feron was down, not dead but certainly in a fair amount of pain. After she could verify that no one else seemed to be shooting at them anymore she moved around the corner, biotics and pistol ready to go. She didn't take offense at the assault rifle pointed towards her nor the human female who was pulsing her biotic power through the room. "Ms. Lawson, I presume. I am Liara Tsoni."

"I'm well aware of who you are. Your dossier states an extreme emotional attachment to Shepard. One strong enough that my superiors were confident that you would not betray. Good to know they were right on that count," Miranda stated silkily. She pulled her biotics back in, leaving Jacob to keep his rifle trained on the Asari. She ran a quick check on Feron confirming he was still in fact breathing. She leaned down, "You should have known we would find out about this." Pulling out a hypo she hit him with some sedatives, taking the drell to an unconscious state. 

"He's hardly my concern," Liara bit off through her teeth. "Can you do what you said? Can you bring her back?"

"Do you want me to lie to you? What we are attempting has never been done. I had hoped with it being a colder atmosphere she'd have been better preserved." Miranda mumbled setting to work opening the crate and then running diagnostics on the cargo inside. "However, that is what we are going to do. We need Commander Shepard and I intend to deliver." The spine had been severed if not missing several vertebrae. Her jaw was decimated and her internal organs had not faired well. "You know what happens now Tsoni. This only happens if you release her to us, your involvement ends here. Do we have a bargain?"

"Keep your credits, bring her back." Liara felt her whole world tilt on its access. She had just willingly handed over the savior of the citadel to Cerberus, because they promised to help. She fought the wave of nausea as old friends condemnation, their perceived opinions of her actions ringing far too true for the Asari's comfort. With strength of will she pushed them aside, this was who she had to be and she would do it without question, just like Shepard. "I'll take the drell though."

Surprise registered on the humans faces. "We just going to hand over a comrade Miranda? Who says she's telling the truth?"

"He was willing to let you die over a paycheck, do you really want to keep him around?"

"I'd rather put a bullet in his brain, makes me sleep better at night," Jacob growled and leveled the assault rifle as if he was going to do just that.

"No!" Liara moved forwards placing herself between the Cerberus operative and the drell. "I need him."

The quiet warble of shuttle engines could be heard coming closer signaling their imminent departure. Workers moved the casket into the shuttle and Liara did her best not to cry or scream or anything else she wanted to do. This was for the best, it had to be, it just had to...

"It was good doing business with you. Please contact us if you find any other relevant information concerning Shepard." Miranda recited.

"I... Yes of course. Wait, is there anyway at all you can notify me if you are successful? Even just an email." Desperation was obvious in her tone and she truly hated it. 

Miranda looked up curiously, "Was she your lover or your friend?"

Liara went stone cold, hours of daydreams and wishes that never came true washing over the Asari with more potency than she liked. "She was... Is my friend. Nothing more."

"Very well. It is very unlikely that I will be able to honor the request, but I will keep it in mind." The brunette closed her omnitool and strode towards the shuttle. "Until next time, Doctor."

"Yes," Liara acknowledged numbly. They were leaving. Since Shepard's death there had been one mission, one thing constantly on her mind. Save Shepard. That was all she had to do and now she had done what she could. Now she floundered and realized how far she had willingly gone to do what she felt was right. She looked over to the drell that had been ready to hand Shepard's body over as a lab rat for a paycheck. She steeled herself, and knew with certainly the she wasn't done descending yet.

***

It was always more difficult to wake up after you were drugged, felt like fighting though a fog to be able to think. He tried to sit up to get a better view of his surroundings but was unable to do so. He blinked rapidly trying to clear the sleep from his eyes and transform the very blurry sight in front of him to something he could recognize.

"Feron. I warned you about the consequences of returning without Shepard's body."

The drell's blood turned to ice in his veins. 

***

Liara quietly ignored the screams from below in her new cabin, at her new job. She would be ready to help Shepard take down the reapers, no matter the cost. She discarded the extra info she had uploaded to Feron's omnitool, painting him the lovesick fool who had cost the Shadow Broker Shepard's body and reviewed her new duties under her new employ.

**Author's Note:**

> I like feedback, good or bad! Also I lack a beta so feel free to point out any mistakes. All is owned by ea, I'm just playing in their sandbox. I know this was a bit dark but it will lighten up soon.


End file.
